AMC, 8:00 p.m. ET
Decades before The Hunger Games, this 1973 movie imagined a world in which people would fight to the death for the amusement of others. It was the final film completed by Bruce Lee, whose talent is on fierce, frenetic display in every action scene. Also on display and also worth mentioning: actress Ahna Capri, who plays the sexy secretary of the villainous island leader. She stopped acting seven years later – but her memory stayed with me long, long after that.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Three genre films directed by Jack Arnold are presented tonight on TCM, as a prime-time triple feature. After 1954’s Creature launches the three-movie salute, 1955’s Tarantula creeps in (and attempts to creep us out) at 9:30 p.m. ET, followed at 11 p.m. ET by that genre classic, 1957’s The Incredible Shrinking Man.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
This 2012 documentary film, directed by Joe Berlinger, premiered on A&E, and was included in the deluxe Graceland 25th-anniversary box set. But if you didn’t catch it there, make sure to catch it here. It’s the behind-the-scenes story of Paul Simon’s biggest-selling album, the 1986 Graceland, for which he sought out South African rhythms – and musicians. Simon talks about the political fallout of going to South Africa to recruit and record, and stories about how he massaged the music tracks and wrote lyrics to fit. Simon usually is reluctant to talk about his lyric inspirations and procedures – but here, he’s both eloquent and honest, and his story about how the song “Graceland” came about is fascinating. So is the rest of this documentary, a worthy companion to the LP itself. In addition to rehearsal footage from the original recording and a recent reunion tour, it includes new interviews with the record’s musicians, as well as with Paul McCartney, David Byrne, Quincy Jones and others. The clip of Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, previewing “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” on Saturday Night Live, is called “the perfect moment” by producer Lorne Michaels – and he’s right. Check local listings.
IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: Two episodes are shown back to back to launch the new season. The first is “Take Back MTV,” which imagines a movement to reclaim MTV from the current generation. (Sign me up.) And the second is called “Missionaries,” which features another appearance by recurring guest Jeff Goldblum. Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein star.
Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: The fifth and final season of this fantasy series begins, wrapping up the story with Arthur (Bradley James) as King, and with Morgana (Katie McGrath) still out to claim the throne for herself. And last season, she showed that Game of Thrones wasn’t the only show that could revive a dead heroine with help from a magic dragon.